After Rebirth, I Discovered My Sister-in-law's Secret

The three of them exchanged glances and Harry, clearing his throat, hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

"Mia, I shouldn’t be the one to say this, but since Charlie mentioned you were upset with him because of Julie, as his eldest brother, I feel I need to step in and say a few words."

His tone had that heavy, paternal weight to it, the kind that made you feel small, like a child being scolded for not understanding the "big picture." I crossed my arms, mentally bracing for whatever nonsense he was about to spout.

He rambled on for several minutes about how deeply bonded he and Charlie were, about how normal it was for family to help each other and that I was being too narrow-minded, causing a stir over nothing and ruining Julie's reputation.

I almost burst out laughing. Ruining her reputation? It was like he had completely rewritten the narrative, turning me into the villain. I had to physically swallow down my frustration, my stomach twisting in disgust. He didn’t even give me the chance to respond before dropping a bombshell.

"You've been married for two years without children. We don’t know who’s to blame for that, but I’ve discussed it with Julie and we think it’s best if you adopt her baby. It’ll be raised under your name."

My breath caught in my throat. I stood there, stunned into silence. This hadn’t happened in my previous life. Could it be that my rebirth had caused everything to shift? Was I stepping into an even more twisted game?

Julie’s lips curved into a triumphant smirk, her voice oozing with self-satisfaction. "Even though our parents-in-law passed away early, our family bloodline mustn’t end with our generation. Don’t worry, Mia, this child will be raised to respect and honor you."

It was too much. The absurdity of it all crashed over me like a wave. What kind of mother would willingly give her own child away so easily? Something about this didn’t sit right with me. There was more to this baby than met the eye.

And then it hit me—this baby could be the key to everything, a potential crack in their carefully crafted façade. If I could find out what was really going on with this child, I could use it as leverage, perhaps even as evidence in my divorce. The thought made my pulse quicken, a new plan forming in my mind.

I nodded slowly. "I understand," I said with a forced smile. "This is a big decision, but for the sake of the family, I’ll take care of the adoption paperwork later."

Julie's eyes sparkled with smug satisfaction, clearly thinking she had won. Little did she know, this was just the beginning of the unraveling.